Why I’m thankful for my running injury.

 Hello and Happy day to you!

As many of you know, I ran the OC Half Marathon on Sunday.

Going into the race, I had set a pretty lofty goal for myself.

If you read my blog post last Thursday, you already know what I was scared sh*tless that I would not be able to achieve that goal.

Running a sub 2 half marathon was something that I had been dreaming about for the last few years.

I had done it once in my life.

Exactly once.

And then, months later my running career went into the toilet and I became seriously injured.

So injured, in fact, that I was forced to take an entire year off of running.

Not being able to run was an absolutely horrendous experience.

I would drive past people running and burst into tears.

I had dreams that I was able to run, and would wake up crying.

I felt like my life was over (yes, I know it sounds dramatic, but it is honestly how I felt).

My first post-injury run was on August 29, 2014

It lasted all of 6 minutes and I ran .53 miles.

Surprise!

I cried during that run too.

For the next few months, my runs were short and painful but I was running.

After running 5 miles with my BFF for my birthday, I decided that it was time to start training for another half marathon.

It was a terrifying thought, but I knew that I needed a goal help me stay consistent in my training.

Exactly 1 year ago and 4 days ago today, I did just that…

I ran the San Luis Obispo Half Marathon.

I finished it in 2:19:20.

In all honesty, it was difficult to accept the fact that I was running a half marathon that was 20 minutes slower than what I was used to.

I was very thankful to be able to run though.

But, in the back of my head and in my heart, I knew where I wanted to be…

I had this time goal posted all over the place.

(this is a picture of my computer at work- in case you were wondering)

When I ran the Surf City Half Marathon in February in a 2:05, I knew it was time to get down to business.

I trained my butt off.

I did speedwork.

I did threshold runs.

I did strength training.

I did hill repeats.

I did all of those uncomfortable things that I had avoided in the past…

Because they made me UNCOMFORTABLE.

Remember my pre-Surf City blog post:”Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable“?

I wasn’t joking.

I am not going to sit here and talk about how nervous I was prior to the OC Half…

You already heard me complain about that on Thursday.

What I am going to do is finally tell you what happened at my race this weekend.

Yes, I am finally getting to the point of this entire story.

You are welcome.

I FREAKING DID IT.

I finished the OC Half Marathon in 1:59:17.

(And let’s not forget to mention that it was 13.25 miles, not 13.1)

After receiving my medal, I walked around for a few minutes trying to figure out exactly what had just happened.

All I could say was “I did it”.

I repeated this sentence over and over again.

I had been dreaming about this day for the last few years and the moment had arrived.

It had finally happened.

I did it.

I was back!

3 years of my life…

Buckets and buckets of blood, sweat, and tears…

Miles and miles of road…

All sacrificed for this one goal.

And it was all worth it.

My injury changed me.

It changed my entire life.

I never EVER thought I would say this, but I am thankful for it.

I wouldn’t be who I am today if I didn’t have to crawl from where I was to where I am now.

Running might be a gift, but I have earned this.

I have earned every second of my 1:59:17 finish.

And for that, I am thankful.

-RatherBeRunnin’

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